Delta Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

is currently backordered. You may still purchase it now but it won't ship until it becomes available again.

Country: New Zealand Region: Marlborough

Varietal:Sauvignon Blanc

Vintage: 2017 Colour: White Style: Dry

Producer: Sheena Gray / Matt Thompson

The Delta farm, first established in 1848, was purchased in 2000 by four...

partners, is now owned by one of the original four partners Neal Ibbotson of Saint Clair Family Estate. Their specialisation in Pinot Noir sets Delta apart from the crowd in Marlborough. Lying on the West Coast highway, the 30 hectare Delta Vineyard is planted with the best new Dijon clones of Pinot Noir and can be divided into two areas. The flatter part, closer to the road, produces approachable, younger drinking wines bottled under the 'Delta' label, whereas the best fruit from the hillsides that rise to around 175 metres produces the reserve style 'Hatter's Hill'. The low vigour clay soils, combined with the elevation of the vineyard, the warm days, the excellent quality of the light, the cool nights and the constant breeze, make this site ideal for the production of top quality Pinot Noir.

Vineyards

Fruit is sourced from in Dillons Point in the Lower Wairau area. The 25-acre vineyard around Dillons Point is planted with a more or less north/south orientation, with relatively flat topography. The trellising system used is Vertical Shoot Positioning. Soils are free draining alluvial, overlying a sandy subsoil. They have high levels of available minerals, and incredible drainage due to the ancient riverbed lying beneath the soil.

Vintage Information

A cool spring weather extended flowering and created open bunches, which reduced potential disease pressure during autumn rains. November will be remembered more for the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that shook the upper South Island.April saw two cyclonic fronts pass through Marlborough bringing unseasonal rain, lowering yields and delaying the harvest, leading to intensely flavoured grapes.

Vinification

Pressed with minimal skin contact, cold settled and racked then inoculated with a selected yeast strain. Fermentation was undertaken in a small stainless steel tank, after which the wine was settled, lightly fined and balanced, then filtered and bottled.